In my previous post - Home Is Where You Make It - Part 1, I explained how my wife and I have been traveling the world as homeless nomads for the past 2 years.

You can read this post as a stand-alone article, but it will make much more sense if you read Part 1 first.

It has felt as if we have been swimming upstream against the currents of our modern society. Our society and especially our economy encourages people to accumulate and accumulate and accumulate until we are forced to pack our garages, get storage units or even buy bigger homes just to make sure we can keep all our stuff.

We just made the choice to attempt to live a lifestyle where we only acquire things that are essential. It really is amazing to think about how little you need when you evaluate everything you purchase and keep as essential vs non-essential.

As promised in Part 1, I wanted to share my observations and valuable lessons that I have learned as we have traveled this very odd but cool journey:

People Are Fascinated By Our Lifestyle

But people really do not understand how or why we live the life we live.

Everyone that we talk to says that they would love to do what we do. Travel and live free and see the world and just go wherever we feel led to go. Then they pause and think for a few seconds and then the reasons "why not" begin to flow into their brain and out of their mouth. 

They say something like, "I can never do what you are doing because..."

My kids have to be in this particular school system
I have a great job and I can't leave it
Our business keeps me trapped in this location
I have to work here for another 10 years before I retire 
I only have 12 more years before I pay off my mortgage and then this beautiful 1800 square foot ranch in suburban Muskogee OK will be mine
We could never leave here because BLANK lives here (in the BLANK insert Mama, Daddy, Great Grandma, our 29 year old son Junior, our grandkids, etc...)
Our children need us
I will stay here until I die

I do not mean to belittle any of those responses, but a few years ago I was begging the Lord to use me in a big way and he told me that he could not send me anywhere because I was too attached to my location and my stuff. That was when we began the process of eliminating those things that keep us tied down. It took almost 3 years, but when we had removed all of our encumbrances of location and things, He started showing us how exciting life could be. And, that was only the beginning. 

Life Is Simpler

For all the advancements we have in our modern lives, we have also created complications. 

I appreciate tools that make my life easier, but the more electronic devices we have, the more they have to be charged, synced protected, and updated. The more things we have, the more they have to be stored, insured, paid for, cleaned, and protected. The less you have, the simpler life is. 

Stop Being Controlled By Money

Many people are controlled and consumed by money whether they have millions in the bank or 2 nickels in their pocket.

It seems as if I have been chasing money most of my life. There are times that I caught a bunch of it. There have also been times that it seemed to allude and run away from me the more I chased. 

It is very difficult to describe the mental changes that have occurred over the past few years. It may be that I have just matured. It may be that I reached a low point when some businesses failed. Or, it may be that I finally stopped putting money on a pedestal. 

We all have idols in our lives. I think that the process of earning (sometimes chasing) financial success was an idol for me. I also think that it is an idol for many people in our current society. It is so liberating to just relax, not be anxious and enjoy life. To be able to have control over money instead of letting it have control over me and my thought processes. Now money and business and blessings seem to just find me.  

Do Not Let Things Own You

Things are related to money. 

They can take on a life of their own when we begin to fear that we may not have as many things as we should. Possibly because of our self image or possibly because of ego. Or, when we hold on to things because we think they have value that is either real or perceived. Or worse, we put some sentimental value on a item because it was Grandma's or Junior's or it reminds us of our high school days. So we store it and keep it or we put it on a shelf to collect dust. And many times, the longer we keep it the harder it is to let it go. 

People have value. Experiences have value.

Things only have value when people give them value. In our modern world many people put more value on their stuff than they put on other people.  

Experiences & Relationships Really Are More Important Than Things & Money

Glori and I were in a car in the middle of the south island of New Zealand. We were driving for almost an hour down a gravel road toward a valley that was 2 miles wide and 10 miles long but completely surrounded by snow capped mountains. With a beautiful flowing river running through the middle. 

It was Mt Sunday which was the location where Peter Jackson filmed the scenes for Rohan in his Lord of the Rings movies.

A longtime friend from high school and his wife were in the car with us. The drive was stunning. The views from the valley were breathtaking. Take your breath away "How Great Thou Art" beautiful. We spent almost 3 hours in the valley and never saw another car or another person. Complete solitude. Not an easy place to get to. No ticket booth. No gift shop. No long lines. No parking lot. No amusement park. Just me and my wife with some friends in a secluded spot on the planet. Very few people ever visit this place. Money was not involved. Things were not even a consideration.

It was 100% experience and sharing that experience.

I am confident that we would have never been to Mt Sunday or even New Zealand nor would our friends have travelled across the world to visit us if we had not started on this journey a few years ago. 

It was a priceless. 

Experiences and sharing experiences with people you love and care for have a much higher value than money and things. It is critical that we limit the control that material items have on our lives so that we can appreciate what we have experienced and the people we have in our lives.

The Spiritual Journey Is The Most Important Thing 

Material things seem to clutter our minds and keep us from gaining a better understanding of the bigger picture of life.

Life is so much better when your primary focus is nurturing and growing your relationship with the Lord instead of being anxious about buying things you cannot afford to impress people you do not even like. Or acquiring things that become a burden to you and your family instead of a blessing. 

Worry and anxiety will eat a person alive physically, mentally and spiritually. It seems that money and thinking about money that you do or do not have is the root of much of the anxiety that people experience in the world.  

In Luke 6:25-34 Jesus talks about worry and anxiety while teaching on the side of a mountain. He basically says do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will wear or even about tomorrow. When we are able to relax our mind and stop worrying about things and accumulation, we can focus on the kingdom that Jesus teaches about in this sermon.

Total Contentment & Happiness Is Possible

It is very difficult to be content...and therefore happy...when you are in constant pursuit of something that really is impossible to obtain. 

The way the economic system continues to flourish is that new and more improved and better things are created and offered so that we constantly feel the need to upgrade. That is not a bad thing in and of itself. But, it is bad when the upgraded model or the "new and improved" begins to consume us to the point that we are constantly yearning for something better. Never being content with where we are.  When a person steps off that vicious treadmill it slows life down and one begins to realize that the upgrade or the newest version may not make life better. 

True happiness and contentment begins to be attained when we are comfortable with who we are, who we are with, where we are, what we have and who's we are. Not needing external accumulation to briefly satisfy us so that we can get a temporal burst of satisfaction is a nice place to be. "Home" (and happiness) really is where you make it.

The Essentialist Lifestyle Is Not for Everyone 

As a disclaimer I should say that I am in no way saying that everyone should live the way I live. 

You should seek your own course and path in everything you do. 

I do know that there are millions of miserable people trudging through life on this earth, and many of them have a nice, big comfortable home with 5 flatscreen TV's and 3 nice cars in the garage. And most have become slaves to those things. Or they have become slaves to jobs and debt so that can pay for those things. It is time for them to break that cycle, if they so desire. 

My purpose of writing this article is not to say my way of living is better than your way of living or any other way of living for that matter. My purpose is to encourage people to seek a life of purpose that is not controlled by material things.

Home is not a place or a structure or even a place with a bed. It is a mindset that should allow you to be peaceful and at rest.

I am not sure that I have reached that place of total peace. I am confident that I am much closer than I have ever been, and I expect this journey to continue adding more and more peace to my life.

While it is difficult to capture our journey in a succinct way, there is one word that jumps into my mind every time I get a question or I give thanks for where we are in life. That one word is simply "freedom."

How long have you been sitting in the same place? Not just physically. But mentally, spiritually, financially and geographically.

It is easy to go though life without ever changing or making major adjustments. The “path of least resistance” is the way most people live their lives without even thinking about it.

Life and circumstances around you will change whether you want them to or not. The difference is whether or not the individual is initiating the change or if the change is being forced on them. It can be very stressful for the person that allows external change to be forced upon their life. But it can be exhilarating and exciting for the individual that is pushing for growth in their life and controlling that process.

It is very rare that someone would admit that it has been years since they have read a book or learned a new skill. But one can just look around and it becomes obvious that most people never learn and grow beyond where they are in their mid 20’s. Don’t be that person.

Most people claim to love adventure and travel and they want to see the world. But years go by and they may never leave the comfort of their own home.  It is too simple to say that people that travel are adventurous and those that do not travel are boring and stuck in a rut.

This article is not written to encourage everyone to parachute out of an airplane, learn Chinese or even road trip and hike across the country. I just happen to believe that everyone should embrace change in at least one area of their life. Even if you are content and successful and growing in the areas you desire growth. Find something new to shake up your world and experience new things.

Do something fun. Do something new. Do something crazy.

Living organisms can never remain static. Plants are either growing or dying. Animals are the same way. And humans are no different. We can attempt to keep everything the same in our lives but we are always in the process of living and growing or shrinking and dying.

The task of embracing change may sound daunting. but it can be a simple as doing one of the following:

Drive a different route to/from work
Meet someone new
Reconnect with an old friend or acquaintance
Schedule a trip
Clean out your closet 
Change your morning/evening/daily routine
Eat some new types of food
Sign up for a training class
Visit a new church even if you attend one on a regular basis
Volunteer in your community

Just a small, incremental change can build momentum so that you can begin making larger, positive changes in relationships, business and other areas of your personal growth.

Don’t get stuck in one place and a year from now be the same person that you are today. Do something different… do anything different. And start today.

Photo Credit - La Dulce Vita

This year has been a year of permanent travel for my wife and I. It has been almost 2 years since we sold and gave everything away and basically became nomads.

We started the year in Southern California visiting our son and will celebrate the new year in the Atlanta area visiting friends and family. In between we lived in or traveled through 15 states in the USA, but we spent more time outside our home country.  Over half the year was spent in Australia and New Zealand.

To be clear, we are not traveling as tourists staying in hotels and visiting every amusement park and tourist site. We are living on the road and staying in certain places for longer periods of time. And we will work while we enjoy the area and experience the culture as much as possible.

As I review this last year and reflect on all the places we have experienced, I realize it is difficult to capture all the amazing adventures in a brief list, but I can summarize the 7 top things that I learned while traveling the last 12 months:

People Crave Change, But Rarely Embrace It
Everywhere we went, people seemed amazed and in awe of our journeys. Most people said they were jealous and really wished they could just leave and travel the world. It is very easy to find reasons to stay right where you are and never change. Both literally and figuratively. But something deep inside us loves the excitement of doing new things and going places. Embrace change and movement so that you can go places.

The World Is Full Of Beautiful, Caring People
People come in all shapes, sizes and colors. And that is what makes people so amazing and gorgeous. We stayed in many homes - big, small and everything in between - and had many meals  and just enjoyed the company of so many wonderful and unique individuals. People are always willing to help and it is rare that a smile will not be returned.

Cities Are Crowded, But There Are Vast Expanses of Nothingness
We seem to always hear about how overcrowded the world is now. If you spend most of your time in major cities you may be fooled into thinking that this is a true statement. But if you drove across Utah or West Texas or the South Island of New Zealand or anywhere inland in Australia you would easily be convinced that there is more than enough wide open spaces in the world. If you ever feel boxed in and crowded, just drive an hour out of the city and the space and clean air will begin to clear your mind.

There Are Places in the World That Will Take Your Breathe Away
There is beautiful scenery everywhere. Driving across the USA or from the top of the New Zealand’s North Island to the South Island or along the Australian coast will give one the opportunity to see some of the most incredible natural landscapes and geography in the world. But then there are those places that will absolutely take your breath away and make you want to shout “How Great Thou Art” at the top of your lungs.

Places like the Grand Canyon, the Mount Sunday valley in New Zealand, the Colorado Rockies, the 12 Apostles along Australia’s Great Ocean Road and the active volcanoes of New Zealand's Tongariro National Park. Places where the majesty cannot be captured with photographs even though we try our best.

Travel Is A Decision
It is so much easier just to stay in one place and never leave your house. That is the path of least resistance. Those that make the decision to go and travel and experience the world realize that it is one of the most exhilarating and liberating decisions they will ever make. The only regret is why one does not start traveling at a younger age. Decide to travel now.

Travel Expands Your Mind
There is nothing wrong with living in one area most of your life and spending time around people that are like you. But it is very difficult to travel to other areas and countries and be closed minded. Your thought process will expand and grow when you see new things and spend time with people that have grown up in different locations with different backgrounds. You will grow. You will change. And you will become a better person.

The World Is Full Of People Of Faith
It was such a blessing to visit and attend churches in almost every part of the world that we travelled. We saw churches in all areas. Every church that we visited encouraged me and increased my belief in humanity. While many people may claim that religion divides the world, I believe that faith in something bigger than the individual actually brings us together.

Many people have asked us what our favorite thing was about our travels. My wife and I both agree that the time we spent at the 5 locations of Hiillsong Church in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne was the absolute highlight of our travels.

My wife and I flew out of the United States in late March of this year. We have visited both Australia and New Zealand since that time and it has been a fun journey.  

I have come to realize that every culture and geographical location has positive attributes and unique qualities. And I think that everyone should embrace that uniqueness and experience as many cultures and locations as you possibly can.

Both Australia and New Zealand have beautiful people and sites that we have been blessed to see and get to know. But after almost 6 months I can now admit that I really do miss some things that seem to be unique to America.

My current list of “things I miss from the USA” is not all inclusive and it is in no particular order:

Waffle House
Chic-Fil-A
Bacon - Applewood Smoked
Eisenhower Interstate Highway System
Walmart & 24/7 Stores
Imperial Measurement System (not Metric)
Fahrenheit Temperatures
Kim Kardashian - joking about that one. She is on the cover of magazines overseas also.

This article would not be complete without a short list of things I do NOT miss about the USA.  Again, not all inclusive and in no particular order:

American 24/7 soundbite & opinionated news media
Political division & polarizing views
American obsession with celebrity and sports and reality TV

We do not expect to be overseas and away from the USA forever. In fact, we may return before the end of the year. If you see me when I get off the plane, point me to the nearest Waffle House!

Tim Winders has over 25 years experience as a business owner, entrepreneur, coach and consultant. He founded Accelerate Growth NOW to provide business owners with the training, coaching and resources to double, triple and 10X their business. To learn more and to claim your FREE business growth resources, visit AccelerateGrowthNOW.com.

My wife and I have been on a fun journey over the last few years.  Really it has been fun for 25 plus years, but the last few have been really cool.

We spent 9 months visiting and traveling 25 states in the USA before leaving to travel overseas.  If you have never DRIVEN across and around the USA, put it on your to-do list.  The sheer beauty and majesty in certain parts of the country can only be seen and appreciated when you get off the planes and high speed back-and-forth between cities travel to slow down and savor the country.

I traveled for years flying in and out of cities, staying in hotels for a few nights, and then flying back out.  While that can be exciting for a short period of time, it can also be exhausting and cause a person to miss most of the good stuff.  Good stuff like:

 - the massive windmill farms in Kansas
 - enjoying appetizers, dinner and multiple bottles of wine with good friends and a view of Pike’s Peak
 - the uniqueness of Sedona, Arizona
 - BBQ in Memphis, Tennessee
 - a quiet, waterside table with new friends on Coronado Island in San Diego
 - walking up and down 5th & 6th Streets in Austin, Texas
 - the grandness of the Grand Canyon
 - riding a snow mobile to the continental divide in Breckenridge, Colorado
 - visiting Duck Dynasty Headquarters in Louisiana
 - Santa Barbara, California
 - Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah (very, very cool)
 - visiting friends overlooking Lake Travis in Texas
 - New Orleans for Mardi Gras (probably not a good idea)
 - White out snow driving in Wyoming
 - Disneyland
 - Roswell, New Mexico
 - the Rocky Mountains!
 - and much, much more

But this article is about one of the less glamorous locations - West Texas.  

We drove through West Texas 3 times during our back and forth cross country journeys.  Driving through that part of the country can be a daunting task.  It just keeps on going and going and going and going.  But I use the example of driving West Texas to compare it to the challenges of business and in many ways life.

Here are my top 5 life and business lessons from driving through West Texas. 

1. Just keep moving…don’t stop.  There are a few towns and places to see along the way in West Texas.  But for the most part it is just road, brown dirt and occasional oil wells and cattle.  As in business and life, you should just keep moving.  Being stationary does nothing to get you to the place you want to go.
2. There are times when options are limited.  I studied the maps again and again.  There just was no way to avoid the flat, monotonous “beauty” of I20 and I10 cutting across Texas.  While I think a person or business owner always has options, the reality is that there are times when options are limited.  Just make a decision to take the best available route and get the job done.
3. You sometimes think you are crazy.  I remember late one afternoon we were driving east towards Austin.  No one else was on the road.  The sun was going down.  And I really think I almost started hallucinating.  Weird thoughts kept going through my mind like “what if I am on the wrong road”, “what if the car breaks down here in the middle of nowhere”, and “I wish I had a gun”.  In life and business the questions that pop into our minds during long dry spells may be “what if I do not have what it takes to succeed”, “am I going in the right direction”, and “will I ever make it to my destination”.  Don't let the terrain and questions running through your head slow you down.  You are not crazy!
4. Take a break when you get the chance.  There are not many fuel and food stops in West Texas.  If you do not pay attention to your gas gauge and your stomach, you run the risk of running on empty.  If you have been driving, living or working towards a business goal for a long time and you see a rest stop, refuel station or snack stand ahead, you should pull off the road for a few minutes a take a break.  The extra fuel and break may give you just enough of a boost to make it to your destination.
5. This too shall pass.  As long and boring as the trip is, you will eventually drive the hundreds of miles and make it to El Paso, Dallas, Austin or San Antonio.  In life and business, you will make it to your next step in business or your next goal in life.  And the journey will continue moving you in exciting and new directions. Just keep driving and moving.

We are still traveling and experiencing the world.  And I am sure each and every one of us will be forced to drive through our own “West Texas” in life or business….I just hope it is not anytime soon for me. 

Thanks for the life lessons West Texas.

Tim Winders has over 25 years experience as a business owner, entrepreneur, coach and consultant. He founded Accelerate Growth NOW to provide business owners with the training, coaching and resources to double, triple and 10X their business. To learn more and to claim your FREE business growth resources, visit AccelerateGrowthNOW.com.

 I take the word Go seriously.  But I cannot say that I always have.  I lived in the same country, state and general area for the first 50 years of my life.  I loved the area.  It was a great place to grow up.  

I was busy.  Always “on the go.”  And I even traveled to a few cool places.  But the world is a big place and I strongly believe that we should see and experience as much of it as we can.  And it can be difficult to truly experience an area and it’s culture if you fly in for a long weekend, stay at a resort in a tourist area and then fly back home.

That is why we decided to Go a few years ago.  What does that mean to us?

We sold or gave everything away.  We put a few items in storage and we went on the road.  We travelled the USA for the first 12 months.  23 states in total.  We drove through some.  Spent a number of months in others.  We are now overseas and have some idea of where we will be the next few months.  But we have no idea when we will be back in the USA or where we will even be a few months from now.

Do not think that we have a bunch of cash in the bank and we are living the luxurious life.  Our financial resources are currently limited but our blessings are massive.  Travel opportunities and places to stay seem to find us.  We do write, consult and coach wherever we are so there is some money that flows to us along the way.  But we stopped concerning ourselves with money a few years ago.  

What we are doing is not for everyone.  But I do know that many people have a strong desire to Go and travel and experience areas beyond their current comfort zones.  Take the “leap of faith” and stretch.

Go into the world….